Paper Flowers
by Heart of Summer
Summary: Hermione is in a bad relationship... One night things go all too wrong for her and she escapes to her one true love. Could contain some rough events both romantically and lifethreatening. HHr.


**A/N: I felt like doing one. I wrote it all in one evening after watching the music video of Leona Lewis' song "Bleeding Love". It's an awesome video and first I planned having Ron cheating on Hermione at home and having her walk in on them, but I changed my mind. I like doing HHr drama and obsession. **

**Besides, it was time for me to try and write a little bit of "adult". I'm not into smut and describing limbs and stuff, but I like to use it in a way where I don't have to name all the ways the 'do it'. It's enough to mention the love between them and everyone will know ;P So don't worry, you younger people. This is no porn. Feel free to read and enjoy the story. Yes, I really hope you'll enjoy! **

**- ****Paper flowers - **

Summary: Hermione is in a bad relationship... One night things go all too wrong for her and she escapes to her one true love. Could contain some rough events both romantically and life-threatening. HHr.

………………………

You cut me up and I keep bleeding love

_- Leona Lewis "Bleeding Love"_

I'm making flowers out of paper  
While darkness takes the afternoon  
I know that they won't last forever  
But real ones fade away to soon

_- Ilse De Lange "I still cry"_

…………………………

Three years.

It had gone three years and she wanted nothing else but to get away from everything. Not get away from everything, but away from _him_. Her boyfriend for three years.

She went into the kitchen and let her fingers trail over the fridge. She stopped to read a paper attached to a magnet and then, sighing, she let her forehead connect with the cool, white plastic. Restlessness took over everything and she opened the fridge to stare straight at the milk, cartons of eggs and chocolate packed inside on the shelves. The light switched off and on and she realized it was probably time to fix it. All that was needed was a tap of her wand and it would shine as brightly as the sun again, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She shut it again and looked up to see the food still on the table. For once she had managed a good meal. She had felt so proud and was ready with everything for a perfectly romantic dinner. She had been convinced that tonight would be the night he'd be home on time, because he'd made a promise.

But the time had gone and she still hadn't made herself to put it away. Slowly she reached out with a hand and killed the lights; flickering and casting shadows up on the orange walls. Why hadn't she gotten to decide the colour of the walls? Because the kitchen had been the only room she'd allowed him to put up the Chuddley Cannons clips from all different kinds of magazines.

Like a ghost, she made her way to the bathroom and pushed the door opened. The mirror had gone all white because of the heat radiating from the hot water in the tub. She went forward and felt with her hand that it had almost grown cold. She shouldn't have waited for an hour before getting in.

Her reflection showed a very young woman with tired eyes as she trailed her hand on top of the mirror to save it from its blindness. The curly hair was big and frizzy and the pink cheeks had grey lines on them from the mascara running.

Without another glance or try to take off any of her clothing she stepped into the water and sat down. She studied her dress sadly floating around her body in the water before finally sliding forward and with her hands still on each side of the tub, slipped beneath the surface.

She had always hated to look under water. The water usually stung in her eyes and she had been forced to shut them as soon as they'd opened. This time she never shut them. The water moved against her iris but she didn't even flinch. It would be hard to in the water anyway. A few bubbles escaped her mouth and nostrils. They were like crystals, and she'd like to believe they were pieces of her soul, the ones still left, escaping her body and then scattered in all directions as it connected with the air above.

The she heard it. She quickly sat right up and gasped for air like fish on dry land. Her lungs were on fire and tears started running down her already soaked face. Hurriedly she got out of the tub and pulled in string that stopped the water from escaping down the pipes. Then she went out in to the hall leaving a wet trail of footsteps behind her. Her hair was dripping and her heartbeats felt like hammers in her chest. Thump. Thump. Thump.

She reached out for the door and opened it. And there he was. He looked at her, his ears a little bit flushed and both his hair and clothes all messy. Hermione stared at him through the curtain of wet hair covering her face. But he just walked in and smiled at her.

"Hermy, you sure have gotten drenched." He walked past her and in to the compartment they shared together, still talking. "Well, I see someone have to clean up this mess."

She stood there and didn't dare to move muscle. He might not have seen the tears but he sure must've seen the look one her face, in her eyes and, hell, that she was close to drenched! Even though it might be more often that you open your door and are wet inside out in the Magical world, but honestly! Wouldn't you at least _ask_?

"Aw, man! Hermy, this is ruined! It's cold too. Why didn't you save some in the fridge for me?" Was_ that_ a reaction? Wouldn't he even apologize for being two hours late? Wouldn't he even acknowledge that she herself hadn't eaten anything?

More water dripped down from her face and hit the floor with a small noise that sounded like thunder to her ears. She needed to get away.

"I'm ordering a pizza!" Ron cried from the kitchen without even thinking about the fact that she wasn't answering. Not even noticing, as he flicked his wand to order in fast food for the third night in a row, that he was already alone.

……………………

A big crack was heard and someone suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room.

Harry jumped in the sofa and the bowl of popcorn in his lap fell onto the floor. For a mere second his heart stopped beating. Then he realized that the soaked, scary looking person wasn't a mad witch escaped from Azkaban, sent out to take his life. It had turned out to be the only witch and person, for that matter, that he trusted to always protect him. She was his best friend, Hermione Granger.

"Hermione!" Harry cried and was on his feet and in front of her in three fast steps. "What have you done! You're soaked! What's wrong?" He bombarded her with worried questions that instantly proved how much he cared for her. And new tears started making their way down her still wet face and drip down her chin. And even though they were pretty much invisible – Harry noticed. He looked at her with a sadness filling up his green eyes and then did the only thing he knew. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her hard, true and safe. And Hermione's arms came around his upper body and she started crying so hard that her whole body shook with emotions. Her nails bored into his back, her wet clothes, constant tears and hair soaked his shirt and her sobs made Harry's heart throb painfully against his ribs.

Slowly he started rubbing her back, up and down, blowing his warm breath in to her hair in a desperate, and useless he knew, attempt to try and dry it. He mumbled sweet nothing into her neck, mostly her name and stuff she liked and how wonderful she was. It helped.

Soon the sobbing turned into a silent crying that sometimes was disturbed by a small hiccup. Harry pulled her with him. Not daring to let her go he pulled out a big towel and wrapped it around them both since Hermione refused to loosen her grip around him as well. Then he took out a pair of pyjamas pants and one of his t-shirts and slowly forced her hands to let go off him.

"You'll catch a cold", he whispered as he leaned his cheek to hers and squeezed her hands. He helped her get the dress off and wrapped her into the towel once again. He pulled her into his warmth and let his hands travel up and down her arms, before collecting his wand and casting a warming spell on her. A hot wind that smelled sweetly of ocean and exotic flowers blew around the two and dried Hermione a little more. Then, with another flick of his wand, Harry had her dressed and led her out in to the kitchen with an arm still protectively around her shoulders.

"Sit down", he said and motioned to a chair at the table. Hermione obeyed his orders as he turned his back on her to make some tea in the muggle way. It always tasted better.

"Now tell me what happened", he ordered as he took out her personal favourite that he had stocked away for the occasion of her visit. It was an exotic flavour which really didn't fit with her personality at all - mango.

"I took a bath, that's all." Hermione mumbled. Harry put in a bit of sugar before shaking his head to himself and reaching up to a cupboard to bring out the fire whiskey. He was worried for her. Hermione really wasn't being herself; usually she would never stop talking. This was really not like the Hermione he'd grown up with.

He poured a bit of the strong liquid in to the tea, before stirring and then walked up to her to force the tea into her mouth. What he saw scared him more than he would've liked to admit.

Hermione was crying again with her face in her hands. She looked as if a dragon had chewed on her and then spit her back out.

Harry put away the tea and took her by the shoulders. She looked up at him and her eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

"I just… needed to get away from him."

"It's OK that you needed it, sweetie" Harry mumbled into her wet mane of curls and pulled her up towards him, tucking her safely into his embrace once again. Hermione hugged him back, but not like before. Not like she was going to die without him. Now it was more like she didn't want him to break. As if he would let her go again if she hugged him too tightly. Like he was as fragile like she looked at the moment. Like a flower out of paper.

"No. Not like that." She answered him.

"Mione, everyone wants to be alone sometimes." Harry tried to assure her.

"No. That's not true" she whispered. "Not me."

Harry stopped patting her back for a mere second. She knew he felt exactly the same way. He hated to be alone, yet he lived in his own apartment. Probably because Ginny could never make him feel truly safe no matter how nasty her bat-bogey hex was.

"I just want moments without Ron." She'd said it. With Harry she could always be herself. She knew who she was and she wanted nothing else but to be that person to the fullest.

Harry's arms suddenly hugged her tighter, as if she was going to be pulled out of his embrace at any second by an unknown force. It was as if he never wanted to let her go. Hermione felt her stomach churn as if she was eleven years old once again. And twelve, and thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen… she was back to having the feeling of butterflies filling up her whole being.

She looked up at his neck, which was all she could see when he was hanging over her shoulder like that. Her one true love, the famous Harry Potter. The boy who had said she was nothing more than a sister. Why was he doing this? Why did he have to go break her heart over and over again?

Merlin, she didn't want it. She hated having him in her arms and knowing that she couldn't touch him. She couldn't go any further than this. It hurt her so badly she couldn't ever put it into words.

And what if he'd said that because he'd thought of her happiness? What if he'd only said that because he'd seen the love she'd made up between Ron and herself only to forget about him? It's not like she hadn't thought about it. Harry had always been blind so why the hell would he see something between the two? If he had it had obviously been a huge mistake.

But Harry wouldn't. She knew he was that great and that wonderful as a person. He would most defiantly sacrifice for her sake. But he could never love her. She knew that. He liked the model look-alikes that was either too fancy to walk by themselves or the Quidditch maniacs who could neither stop talking about their own skills nor the sport. Not the bookworm best friend who knew him better than anyone. Where was the excitement in that?

"Don't even think of leaving me, Hermione." Harry said softly into her hair, waking her up from her train of thoughts. He had something in his voice that made it sound as if he was crying. But Hermione knew that was impossible. Right…?

And once again the Hermione she was deep inside reacted. The old Hermione Granger stopped thinking of everyone's well-being and became a self centred know-it-all. She started telling the truth without having anything going through her usual filter.

"I would never do that." Harry didn't say anything to that. But he didn't move either. "Harry. You're the only reason I am still alive."

"Then why isn't it enough?" Harry asked, his voice breaking. This time he was as close to crying as he would probably ever be. Hermione wanted desperately to cry as well – but something stopped her.

With her voice caught in her throat she backed away from him, and let her hands stroke his face. Harry's eyes almost closed as she let it stay on his hot skin.

"Don't ever think that you're not enough." Hermione said hoarsely. "You're everything that is good in this world! You're…! Harry. Stop thinking that you're so horrible." She suddenly hit him in the chest. "Idiot! You're the greatest person I know! Don't you even dare to think otherwise…!" Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. She threw all her defences down as she suddenly said with a normal tone vibrating with emotion:

"I love you."

Her forehead connected with his chest as she desperately tried to hide her red face to him. And then she also realized this was probably the first time someone told him those three words face to face. Maybe Ginny had, now when she thought about it. In bed, when they'd been doing Merlin knows what. She hated to think about it. The thought of Harry with another woman sickened her.

She didn't want anything else than stay in his arms for a couple of more seconds. Just a couple of more and then she'd be ready to be pushed away, screamed at and hated for the rest of her life. Anything for just another moment alone with Harry.

But he pulled away too soon. He let his hands cup her face and shook his head. Hermione felt strongly that this was the end. But when Harry leaned down, sighed and blew his sweet breathe on her lips she knew she'd been horribly mistaking.

Bending down the last few inches Harry captured her lips with his and without wanting to wait another moment he forced her mouth open and plunged in his tongue between her lips. Hermione gasped in surprise, clung to him and immediately started kissing him back. He made a quick motion and made her waist come against his. He kissed her deep at first. Deep, passionately and so hot that Hermione was sure she was sweating and was going to go nuclear at any given moment being so close to the deep fire inside of Harry's body that was pressed up roughly against hers.

His hands tangled in her hair as he let his lips leave her mouth and let them trail down her chin. Hermione's breathe was uneven and heavy as he started working on her neck. The kissing was driving her crazy and she couldn't stop her nails from digging deep into his shirt.

She had never even tried to imagine herself with him. If she had she knew that whatever she would have tried to come up with wouldn't have come anywhere near this.

She felt like every cell in her body moved against Harry, every little inch of her wanted to press up against him, wanted to have him inside of her. And the knowledge of him wanting the same only made it harder to stop. His mouth was back on top of her, plunging deep and Hermione answered so eagerly that she started to scare herself.

He pushed her down on the sofa.

His body was heavy on top of hers and his hands and fingers felt as if they made small burn marks on the sensitive skin underneath her shirt. His kisses was soft, exploring and safe and he gave her time to breathe and still almost never leaving her room for it.

"Harry" she mumbled weakly. It was unsteady and weak noise that hardly made it out from between her swollen lips. Her hands were on his chest, stroking him with a lazy touch that made herself feel light-headed. His was suddenly caressing her lower half. Her leg went against his thigh as he slipped his knee in between hers in a casual manner that felt like anything but. Hermione huffed and let out a small moan. His hands went up and down her long legs as he leaned down to lean against her.

"Harry, stop" she said as her legs were hard upon his from both sides. She had only said it once and it had been close to a whisper, but he stopped immediately. He opened his eyes and the dark eyelashes connected with his cheeks a couple of times as if he was trying to wake up from a daze. She felt her cheeks flush as she could see the desire deep inside of his emerald irises. He had waited for as long as she had.

For a second she thought of all of the things and reasons stopping them from doing this. Their promise of a platonic relationship. Ron. Ginny. Their lives… but she forgot it all when she saw a flicker of concern in his face.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, hoping it was about anything but a pleading for a stop to this madness. This wasn't another round of sex-games. This was honestly for real and Hermione felt the tears sting in her eyes. She let her hands reach out and touch his hair – his wonderful, raven black hair that smelled so strong and so much like home to her.

"I won't be able to fall asleep out here," she mumbled, struck once again by his utterly beautifulness. "Could we move this to the bedroom?" She was blushing furiously as she said it but the smile Harry flashed at her was worth all her embarrassing moments and, for that matter, every single bit magic in the world.

Hermione sat up and kissed him hard, forgetting all about the fragile material of her feelings and paper flowers. She slithered her arms around his neck and he pulled her close again. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Harry stood up and stumbled towards the bedroom. For a moment you could see a glimpse of Harry leaning down over her, pressing his body towards hers and starting to kiss her again. Soon Hermione was on top, having Harry help removing his pyjamas pants off of her as the door closed and left the two best friends and lovers alone together, caught in a moment of time that would change their lives forever. And finally give them a reason to live.

The end

A/N: I love comments! So if you like it, please tell me :P


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